Arrest after 15 cats left in hot apartment

An Arizona man accused of abandoning 15 cats in a hot apartment for about a month was arrested on animal cruelty charges.

In an interview with police, Bradley Oliver said he took the cats in and tried to find homes for them, providing them food and water during June.

But Oliver admitted to abandoning the cats in the beginning of July, Tempe police told Phoenix TV station KPHO.

The cats remained in Oliver's apartment with no food or water until early August.

Melissa Murray, manager of The Arbors Apartments, said Oliver couldn't pay the rent and took off, leaving behind the helpless felines to fend for themselves in the 115-degree heat.

Murray hadn't gotten any complaints and didn't know what was going on until she and another tenant checked the apartment.

"The smell was horrific. There's fur everywhere," tenant Amanda Taylor told KPHO. "These animals were obviously suffering, and these people were doing nothing about it. It's just hard to imagine what kind of person could do something like that."

One kitten was found dead in a kitchen drawer, but, surprisingly, the other cats are doing well. Taylor has nursed them back to health herself.

Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Comments

The views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.